Something I have discovered fairly early in my yoga practice is that it connects you to a higher force. God, the Divine, your true self, whatever you might call it. Something oh so bright and powerful.
Sadly, I have found that spirituality isn’t something very common for us to embrace, talk about and share. At times it even seems to me that it’s frowned upon like it was some weird cult that you carefully need to stay away from. How did this come about, why are we so scared of acknowledging that it is not pure intellect that drives us?
When we go to yoga classes in the modern world, many of us mostly look for a sweaty workout that will kick your butt into shape. Asana practice most certainly does that for you. It builds stamina and tones every single muscle of your body (even in the places you didn’t even know you had muscles 😉 ).
Pretty much from the beginning on I left my mat feeling invigorated and powerful, however, at first I mostly ascribed it to the physical transformation that was taking place. Yet after some time of practice and a little more experience I began to see quite clearly that this feeling doesn’t stem from anything physical. It’s not about defining your triceps or being able to flow flawlessly through an intense Vinyasa routine. It goes much deeper and reaches much farther.
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fabulous that yoga is conquering Western gyms! They’re even one of my favorite places to teach 🙂 And that’s mostly because it gives you the amazing opportunity to help people that otherwise may have never considered looking into it to discover the beauty of the practice. And maybe they will start digging deeper, asking questions.
Yoga is a practice to connect your body and your mind. It makes everything clear, surroundings simply fade away. Only what matters stays. I like to think of it as this: imagine your mind like a lake. It’s usually quite dirty, the water somewhat polluted and unclear. You can’t see to the ground. Through yoga, all the dirt that’s floating in the water settles down. The water becomes still and crystal clear. Sunshine can break through it.
Much like settling the dirt in a lake’s water yoga allows you to clean out your body, which functions as a vessel to connect you to something higher. Past emotions are released, your focus and concentration trained, your breath deepened. This is also why there are so many aspects of the yogic practice: from diet to physical cleanliness.
To me spirituality is seeking the answer to many fundamental questions in my life. Mostly I aspire to live purposefully and consciously, mindful of the fact that we are all in this together. That is the literal meaning of yoga – oneness or unison. Some people might define spirituality completely different. This is another beautiful thing about it: there is no ultimate truth, no black and white.
Yoga is by far not the only way to pursue your spirituality. There are many ways to go exploring, many great books to read and teachers to learn from. You just got to find what it is that floats your boat 🙂
Being spiritual doesn’t limit you in any way. I still listen to rap music and enjoy cheesy pizza and white wine. Pursuing spirituality doesn’t mean you can’t get angry any more, it will just take away some of the bitterness that resonates within your anger.
Personally I have found that tapping into my spiritual study has enriched my life in many ways. I was able to foster more awareness, towards others, myself and also nature. Through this awareness my feelings have gotten deeper, enabling me to experience life in a manner that is way more beautiful and intense. It has become easier to make difficult decisions. Speaking and living my personal truths doesn’t feel like a burden anymore but rather like a breathtaking ability.
Most definitely it will be a journey where you learn to become aware of the impact you have in this universe. In addition, the discoveries you make will help you to grow endlessly. It’s the journey of a life time.
From my great soul to your great soul. Namasté.
openheartedness 